Nineteen Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Friday, aiming to prevent Elon Musk’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive personal records held by the Treasury Department. These records include crucial information such as Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of individuals across the country.
The lawsuit was submitted to federal court in New York City, with the claim that the Trump administration improperly granted Musk’s team access to the Treasury’s central payment system, thus breaching federal laws. This payment system is responsible for disbursing a vast range of payments, including tax refunds and social security and veterans’ benefits, totaling trillions of dollars each year while safeguarding a comprehensive database of Americans’ personal and financial details.
The White House has yet to issue a response regarding the legal filing. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, often referred to as DOGE, was established to identify and eliminate government expenditures deemed unnecessary by the Trump administration. The controversial access granted to DOGE has raised alarms among critics concerned about Musk’s growing influence, while some supporters welcome his efforts to curb excessive government spending.
Musk has publicly ridiculed critics of DOGE on his X social media platform, boasting about the program’s purported savings for taxpayers. New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office initiated the lawsuit, asserted that DOGE’s access to the Treasury’s data poses serious security risks and threatens to unlawfully freeze federal funds. In a video message, James emphasized that an unelected body led by one of the wealthiest individuals in the world is not entitled to this information, and it sought unauthorized access to potentially halt critical payments essential for health care, child care, and other programs vital to millions of Americans.
James further argued that Trump does not possess the authority to indiscriminately share private information about U.S. citizens and cannot unilaterally suspend federal payments sanctioned by Congress. The suit includes input from attorneys general across several states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
The lawsuit contends that DOGE’s access to Treasury records could disrupt funding already designated by Congress, thus surpassing the Treasury’s legal jurisdiction. Additionally, it claims that such access contradicts the U.S. Constitution’s principle of separation of powers and violates federal administrative regulations. The suit alleges that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent altered longstanding protocols designed to protect sensitive personal and financial data to facilitate this access for Musk’s DOGE team.
“This decision neglected to consider the legal responsibilities associated with data protection and disregarded the privacy rights of federal fund recipients, which include states, veterans, retirees, and taxpayers,” reads the lawsuit.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong expressed uncertainty about how DOGE intends to use the information obtained from the Treasury systems. He referred to the situation as potentially the most significant data breach in U.S. history. “DOGE is an unlawfully formed group of renegade tech entrepreneurs sifting through confidential records and sensitive data. What could possibly go wrong?” Tong remarked.
The Treasury Department has stated that the ongoing review is intended to assess the system’s integrity without implementing any changes. According to sources familiar with the situation, Musk’s team initially began its inquiry to find ways to halt payments issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development, a program that both Trump and Musk are reportedly trying to terminate. These sources have requested anonymity to avoid repercussions.
In a separate development, Democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation into DOGE’s access to the Treasury’s payment system. Labor unions and advocacy groups have also initiated legal actions to obstruct the review of the payment system, citing concerns regarding its legality. Recently, a judge in Washington imposed a temporary restriction on access for two employees, limiting their permissions to “read-only.”
